State Commission Chairman Kiyenko on Economic Impact of Satellite Programs

This document is a transcript of an interview conducted by correspondent V. Shcherban with Yuriy Pavlovich Kiyenko, the deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers' Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography and chairman of the State Commission for Launches and Use of Cosmos-series and Resurs-type Satellites. The interview, dated April 12, 1990, serves to demystify the Soviet space program for the public, which had previously been shrouded in secrecy. Kiyenko explains his role as a civilian coordinator of space operations, emphasizing that the program is focused on peaceful, economic, and scientific objectives rather than purely military ones. He details how satellite data is used for mapping, ecological studies, agricultural planning, and identifying natural resources, noting that this data is significantly more cost-effective than aerial surveys. Kiyenko addresses several public concerns, including the environmental impact of rocket launches, which he asserts are ecologically clean, and the issue of satellite debris. Regarding the latter, he acknowledges that fragments of spacecraft occasionally return to Earth and are sometimes mistaken for UFOs by the public, though he maintains that these events are rare and that the program is designed to avoid populated areas. The interview concludes with a discussion on the economic benefits of the space program, with Kiyenko arguing that the value of the data produced far exceeds the costs of the launches, despite some public skepticism regarding the allocation of resources during times of economic hardship.